Lehngā
An exhibition showcasing a traditional skirt
Lehnga across the land
by Saman Habib
Straight cut lehnga in satin with zardozi butis (1900/1935) by Unknown Lucknow Bioscope
Among the memories of my growing up years is of my grandmother and mother handling and admiring these exquisite lehngā-kurtā-dupaṭṭās
of brocade, himroo,
Chinese embroidered silk, and even khadi
with lace, zardōzī
and mukaish
embellishments mainly done in Surat. I was given a couple of lehngās
as a girl and wore these for wedding functions, where most others wore ġarārās
. When I too married a man with roots in Lucknow, I got to wear my grandmother’s wedding attire.
Newlyweds in Lucknow, Bakshi Studio, Hazratganj (1963) by Unknown Lucknow Bioscope
My mother-in-law, a Lucknow girl, had been married in a lehngā
too with a picture of that time taken at Bakshi Studio, Hazratganj.
Banarasi silk brocade lehnga with traditional banat and gota border (1900/1935) by Unknown Lucknow Bioscope
A lehngā
is a long skirt gathered at the waist. A closer look at the old Gujarat and Awadh lehngā
styles reveals a difference. Both have a straight construction, but the former gathers at the waist when one pulls the izārband
(drawstring) while the latter is gathered at the waist and stitched to a narrow belt.
Banarasi purple silk brocade lehnga with odhni (1900/1935) by Unknown Lucknow Bioscope
Both these differ from the kalīdār
lehngā
with bias-cut panels, more common in Rajasthan and among the rajwadas
of Awadh. Traditional Awadhi lehngās
of the 20th century are mainly in Banarsi silk brocade, silk weave or satin. Most have a gōṭā
and/or zardōzī
border placed a little above the hem. These were paired with cōlīs/angiyās
and later with blouses and short kurtās
, with the dupaṭṭā
worn in a half- sarī
style.
Banarasi silk brocade lehnga with traditional banat and gota border (1900/1935) by Unknown Lucknow Bioscope
The skilled kārigars
of Lucknow made banat
( zard
ō
zī
work on a ribbon made with coloured silk pieces) and gō
ṭ
ā
combinations and one sometimes finds identical trimmings attached to the hem of a lehngā
or the dhanak
of a ġarārā
/ farshī pyjāmā
of the same period.
A collection of lehngās from Lucknow...
Lehnga in banarsi silk weave with gota border and a contrasting blue satin edge (1950/1975) by Unknown Lucknow Bioscope
Valentina Trivedi in her mother's lehngā
of banarsi silk with gōṭā
border and a contrasting blue satin edge.
Heavy borders in floral motifs and paisley patterns contrast with the plain elegance of the lehngās .
Gōṭā-paṭṭi on green contrasts well with yellow brocade on the left. Elaborate drawstrings hold up the heavily embellished lehngā on the right.
Touches of Lucknawi elegance, caṭāpaṭī, gōṭā , and banat add to the timeless appeal of the lehngās.
Scroll down to see cōlīs (blouses) and dupaṭṭas (stoles) paired with lehngās....
Cōlīs /angiyas with e mbellishments along the seams and edges, to be fastened with drawstrings.
Cōlīs /angiyas with e mbellishments along the seams and edges, to be fastened with drawstrings.
Bhavna Singh donning a Banarsi kora silk dupatta showcasing a woven jaal in gold and colored silk, alongside a fine Banarsi silk weave odhni , both showing the exquisite craftsmanship from the early to mid-20th century.
The above dupa ṭ ṭ as from the Lucknow Bioscope collection showcase the rich hues and the opulence of Awadh.
Lehngās
continue to be the most popular attire at weddings and celebrations. A variety of crafts such as zardōzī
, cikankāri
and mukaish
are used to embellish lehngā
sets, thus providing work to craftspersons and helping sustain livelihoods.
Curation
: Noor Khan & Saman Habib
Photography
: Ayan Bose, Tasveer Hasan
Team:
Mariyam Imran, Saman Habib, Noor Khan
Text, Editing and Translation
: Saman Habib, Noor Khan, Sabiha Anwar, Isha Priya Singh, Waseem Ahmed,Stuti Mishra, Divya Joshi
Gracious Contribution by:
Bhavna Singh & Digvijay N Singh
Bina Agarwal
Kamal Misra
Late Anuradha Srivastava
Ragini Pandey Misra
Shipra Misra
Valentina Trivedi
Vasundhara Singh
You are all set!
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